The President's View - June
Released On 1st Jul 2015
On 18th June, I was proud to be part of Yeovil Chamber’s finest hour to date at the glittering Western Gazette Business Awards Dinner at Westland Leisure Centre (below).
As well as winning the Best Networking & Business Support Group section, previous President Jason Livingstone deservedly picked up the Outstanding Contribution by an Individual award.
Life isn’t about winning awards, it’s about doing a good job; so when someone publicly acknowledges what we are doing, a big pat on the back, such as these awards, is good for everyone involved, and encourages us to keep doing what we do.
When I took over from Jason in February 2015, I set myself and the Chamber a pretty big ask; to raise our profile; improve communications; enhance the membership proposition, and deliver a first-class service that our business community would seek out and truly value. Thanks to everyone involved, this is all starting to happen, and the recent awards reflect this positive change.
Several new members have joined the Executive Committee, which now comprises a good balance of energy and experience. Everyone on the Executive Committee now pro-actively takes responsibility for our many areas of interest; from liaising with key local & national government officials, transport bodies, crime & safety officials, to organising networking events, and lobbying over such critical issues as superfast broadband and business rates.
We have completely overhauled our marketing and communications. This is evidenced by the number of emails I have sent out, and the recent member survey, which will be used to further enhance the delivery of our services. We have embraced social media, and our Twitter presence is growing daily. Please visit and use our website, which was upgraded in 2014, and is now the hub for everything we do. Large parts of our administration are now automated, allowing our hard-working secretary Gina to concentrate on more productive matters. We are in the final stages of putting together a package of networking events, industry briefings, and sponsorship deals; to create something more tangible in our offering.
There is still plenty of work to be done to reach our goal of Yeovil Chamber being a one-stop-shop for our business community, but most of the foundations are in place, and there is a buzz about the Chamber. I want to give our members at least one good reason at the front of their mind for belonging to Yeovil Chamber; where Chamber membership represents excellent value, and the service we deliver encourages networking, informs the business community, and promotes trade and prosperity for all.
